Japanese Robo-Chefs to Feed, Replace Us All [video]

Here are some videos from Tokyo's International Food Machinery and Technology Expo from last week. Watch a robot enthusiastically make "okonomiyaki" aka Japanese pancakes! The creepy artificial human hand serving sushi! The robot slicing cucumbers faster than any human could ever reasonably and safely slice! The Roomba-like table-topped robot that serve drinks and take orders with its built-in speech recognition!

But what got us was this line by Narito Hosomi, president of Toyo Riki, manufacturers of the pancake-cooking robot: "If a human does this job, it can be stressful. And if so, then they can leave the work to the robot."

He's making it clear: These robots designers fully intend to replace the line cooks, bartenders, and servers of the world. Chefs will program the recipes in, and restaurant owners will no longer have to deal with employees who call in "sick" (hungover from the night before), come in late, or slack off. Back to work humans!